Cafe Stair of the Moon in Hongdae

Ades. Korea didn’t only turn me onto coffee! During a hot summer day I got a blueberry ade from a small cafe in Yeouido and I’ve never looked back. Ades are so delicious! Since then I’ve probably tried every fruity ade there is out there. It just hits the spot when it’s hot outside!

My favorite ade is grapefruit because it’s not too sweet. If you are a fan of sweet and tart grapefruit is the way to go. I’m lucky because Koreans don’t generally like very sweet things. It’s the opposite of the American taste, but much healthier!

The best ade I’ve had came from Cafe Stair of the Moon in Hongdae. It’s a little bit off the beaten path of the main Hongdae area, but it’s definitely worth a visit. It’s nice and cozy inside and they make super yummy desserts!

I guess that is one of the reasons why Hongdae is so appealing. The place is like a maze and it’s filled with tiny little stores. There is so much more to Hongdae than the main area around the station. If you take the time to walk around the surrounding area, it’s much less crowded and has just as many cool shops and cafes to visit. I like the the crowded areas, but sometimes it’s nice to go to an area where you don’t have to shove your way through throngs of people. 🙂 Cafes are one of my happy places where I can just chill.

It’s kind of weird being back in the United States now. Going to cafes was a big part of my life in Seoul. I love Starbucks, but it just doesn’t have the same feeling as the cafes in Korea. It sounds weird, but I liked the quirky, unique concepts that you found from the indie coffee shops that seem to pop up every day in Seoul. Everyone is trying to stand out there and get their cafe seen, while here we just mainly have franchises that offer a very standard experience. It can get boring. I don’t really get excited to hang out at a cafe anymore, because they don’t have anything new to offer.

I’m definitely not done with Asia yet.

Ah, well. I guess I will have to search out more indie shops here in the United States. Now that I’m back, I’m looking forward to doing more traveling within the US and Canada and seeing many more amazing places. I’ve already got a little taste with my recent trip to Canada and I’m psyched to see more! 😀